Pavlova pizza might be a more apt name for my first attempt at meringue making!
Not a peak in sight, just a perfectly flat base.  At least it was shiny and crack-free so I did get something right.  But what went wrong?  When you’ve never whipped up egg whites in to ’stiff ‘peaks before it’s easy to think you’re whipping up a mountain only to discover you’re adding sugar to a mole hill.  And once you realise the error of your ways it’s near impossible to save it.  Even if you continue to whisk beyond the limits of your achy arms and the smell of an overheated motor in your hand blender!

Appearances aside having a flat meringue suited my slap-it-on method of  assembling puds.  A generous slathering of whipped cream and a scattering of fruit toppings (frozen allotment raspberries, passion fruit seeds and kiwi slices) soon restored the stature that my pavlova had been lacking.  To be honest I didn’t really mind what it looked like – it tasted delicious and not a crumb was left on anyone’s plate, despite the hearty Christmas dinner that pre-ceeded it.

Filed under: in the kitchen

Dionysia are a group of plants containing 30+ species found in mountainous areas in Afghanistan and Iran. Dionysia are the ultimate alpine plant producing a mass of, often fragrant, bloom on top of a perfect dome. However they are tough to keep alive without alpine house conditions. These plants are not for the novice and need care particularly with watering.

Dionysia are cousins of the cushion Androsaces but differ by having a long narrow tube to the corolla. They like a gritty scree with some humus and plenty of water in the growing season.

Dionysia are part of the Primulacea family and have many similar genes particularly when it comes to colour. For example, hirsutin has been identified as the violet pigment in flowers of Dionysia archibaldii, D. bryoides, D. curviflora and D. microphylla. Yellow pigment in flowers of D. aretioides is now reported also in D. bornmuelleri and D. paradoxa.

Download a pdf article on 5 new Dionysia species or visit Rock Garden database for a list of the Dionysia species.

A four foot square clump of plump new peony shoots were highlighted at Kew Gardens by the grey, gravel mulch around them. I have not suffered from slugs on Peonies, nor have they had problems with rotting, so I do not put gravel around my plants. However if it is OK for Kew then I guess it is OK for me. At least it would be a decorative improvement on my bare soil.

Ask two gardeners about mulch and you will get three answers. For example when asking about mulching Peonies I got these answers ‘Three popular choices are straw, compost or dry leaves.’ ‘Some popular spring mulches are shredded bark, pine nuggets or straw.’ So no gravel there then!

Planting deeply may prevent the peony from flowering, they do better for a bit of frosting on the crown apparently. Peonies can live for over 50 years and mine flower just fine so I am leaving things as they stand ie. very occasional mulch when the compost heap has generated compost to spare .

Aim for a waxy texture with your salad potatoes and you will probably get some of the best flavoured spuds you have had in a Salad. Waxy potatoes remain intact after cooking and do not go into the water. Waxy potatoes tend to be Early to crop 75 -95 days. Waxy potatoes lend themselves to growing in large pots, barrels or containers.

Early Salad Varieties of Potato

Charlotte is resistant to blight and has a good cooked waxy texture.
Roseval is an attractive, high yielding pink skinned potato will make attractive salads.
Anya has a distinct nutty taste and waxy texture. Very long oval tubers with brown skins and cream flesh but susceptible to greening.
Maris Peer looks creamy yellow with regular shaped tubers.
Nicola will produce a high number of uniform tubers per plant.
Jersey Royals are a well known ‘new potato’ with good flavour but hard to grow well.
Belle De Fontenay is a variety I am trying for the first time this year .
Maincrop varieties include the knobbly Pink Fir Apple, Ratte an heirloom variety and Aura.

Roseval variety pictures from British Potato Database

Gardeners Tips on Salad Potatoes

• Grow your spuds in half a grow bag stood on its end and you will get clean tubers.
• Containers can be stood on paths or decking to increase your cultivated area.
• Provide good drainage and top up the compost when leaves show to avoid green on the tubers.
• Do not put too many tubers in each pot or container.
• Save some tubers to plant later in the year – I have had new spuds on Christmas day.
• Make a list of possible varieties and go to a good seed merchant who sells loose potatoes. Do not worry if some of the varieties you list are not available, try a lucky dip.

How do you plan a colour scheme when gardening with a wide palette of colour. The answer is to use complimentary colours that are directly opposite on the colour wheel. This give a lie to the old phrase about red and green which is about dress sense rather than gardening nous.

Other colour combinations that work well include yellow and violet or deep purple and for the adventurous blue and orange.

If you want a smashing colour scheme be bold and go for a medley of colour like these floral exhibits at Kew.

Bluebells are brilliant plants for woodland and glades but in my garden they are a bit of a nuisance. I would like to think my Bluebells are pure English but I think they may have hybridised somewhere down the line. They are scented but are light blue! I can’t remember
my flowers but English Bluebell flowers are narrow bell shapes hanging on one side of the stems, unlike the Spanish which are upright and wide open bells.

The reasons I find them a nuisance is the soft leaves become floppy and messy as soon as the flowering is finished. For years I have pulled up the leaves and composted them and thereby starts my problem. I have inadvertently spread the bulbils via compost to many unsuitable parts of my garden. The bulbs are deep and hard to eradicate so I am stuck with them.

See more Bluebells in Flower and ‘Tidy Up Bluebells’

It is illegal to dig up wild Bluebells but spring is a good time to plant them in the green. If after all this you wish to buy Bluebells you can do so from Thompson Morgan

Seeds that have germinated and grown roots (radicles) and sprouts (plumules) can add flavour and texture to your meals. They do not take up space in your garden and can be grown all year round.

Bean sprouts in Chinese restaurants are crispy additions to the flavours and textures of your meal. The trick to growing long crisp sprouts is to grow them under pressure. In a dark, free draining container put a half inch layer of bean seeds, cover with a damp cloth and put a one pound weight on top. Rinse daily under a tap and 4-5 days later they will be ready to eat.

Open sprouting can be done like our childhood mustard and cress on a foam base covered with layers of paper towels or on moist cotton wool. Cover with tin foil to exclude the light and germinate in a warm spot.

There is a wide variety of seeds that can be eaten as sprouts or seedlings but do not eat legumes to excess. TLegumes, particularly  Broad beans and French beans are  slightly toxic. Corriander, Leeks and Onions can be eaten as seedlings. Cereals are only eaten as very small sprouts. All Brassicas can be eaten as seedlings.  Buy from health food shops or specialist suppliers and keep seed cool and dry until ready to use. Below is a table of some suitable plants for sprouting.